Surgical dressing



y 1952' u. POHJOLA 2,595,606

SURGICAL DRESSING Filed Feb. 18, 1 950 2 SHEETSSHEET l INVENTOR. UNO POI-U OLA ATTORNEY y 6, 1952 u. POHJOLA 2,595,606

SURGICAL DRESSING Filed Feb. 18, 1950 g sl-IEETS-SHEET 2 VEN UN OH LA- ATTORNEY Patented May 6, 1952 .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SURGICAL DRESSING Uno Pohjola, Detroit, Mich.

Application February 18, 1950, Serial No. 144,924

Claims. 1

This invention relates to surgical dressings and more particularly to an improved surgical dressing or a bandage which carries within itself a desired medicinal preparation to be applied to the wound before the dressing or the bandage is applied.

It has been well appreciated in the art that conventional dressings or bandages are inadequate in field applications i. e. applications outside of a dressing room, doctors office, or in general away from a place where a proper medicinal preparation for a particular type of injury such as a cut, bruise, burn, etc., is available. This is due to the fact that for proper healing and for prevention of possible infection it is required or at least desirable that before dressing a wound a proper medicinal preparation in liquid or powder form, or in the form of an ointment be applied thereto and come into a proper contact with the injured tissue.

Medicinal preparations of the above character are usually sold in bottles, tubes, jars, or in boxes holding a good quantity thereof for many applications. Such containers cannot be carried around or be always available when and where needed. Also when kept in home medicine cabinets such preparations may leak out from an overturned bottle or dry up in a bottle without this fact being noticed; they often become ineffective due to exposure to air because of incomplete closing, or exposure to light when left on a Window sill; harden in tubes; and so on.

It has been realized, therefore, that it would be extremely advantageous to eliminate the necessity of storing as well as having such preparation available wherever a dressing or a bandage may have to be applied. In homes having small children, bottles of medicines, such as tincture of iodine for instance, always present a source of danger for the children, since cases of poisoning of children drinking the contents of such bottles have been known.

Accordingly, individual dressings which include a gauze pad saturated in such preparation as mercurochrome solution have been sold to the public for a number of years, as an expected solution to the above problem. However, it was found that such dressings or bandages perform the desired function in a very limited degree. The solvent of the solution forming a vehicle by which the preparation is carried into contact with the tissue is usually dried up before such bandages are packed, and a dry pad placed over a wound does not serve as a substitute of applying liquid preparation directly to the wound with desired penetration thereinto.

It has been also proposed to provide individual dressing envelopes or bandages having small glass containers with desired liquid preparations. In application, the glass container is first crushed and its contents are permitted to soak the bandage which is then applied to the wound. The obvious disadvantage of having pieces of broken glass close to the bandage with the danger of some small pieces of glass getting into the wound, gave an apparent advantage to a proposal to substitute the glass container with a small airtight envelope having a protruding tab for tearing the envelope and causing its contents to leak out and to saturate a gauzepad for an application to a wound. In both of the above proposals which have an advantage over the dried up pads mentioned above, the difficulty results from the fact that it is desirable to apply the medicinal preparation to the wound and not to the bandage, and in fact it is desirable that the preparation penetrate into the wound but clean and dry bandage be applied thereafter as a dressing. This difiiculty has interfered and precluded a universal application of such bandages.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide an improved surgical dressing whereby the above disadvantages are overcome and largely eliminated and an improved surgical dressing or bandage is provided whereby medicinal preparation of a desired nature is applied to the wound and not to the bandage and thereupon a dry dressing is applied, all without the necessity of storing required preparations in Various containers and in relatively large quantities, and having them available when and where a dressing has to be applied.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved surgical dressing or a bandage having means whereby a medicinal preparation, particularly if in a liquid form, may be applied to a Wound in the form of a wound penetrating stream, which is often necessary in cases of excessive bleeding, making such application usable in some cases in preference to hypodermic injections.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved surgical dressing or a bandage which while fully and properly covering and protecting the wound operates to relieve or prevent direct bandage pressure on the wound.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a ready-to-apply bandage or a surgical dressing comprising a number of component parts based or assembled on a strip of surgical adhesive tape, said parts being in effect superimposed over one another and yet so arranged that each of said parts adheres directly to the adhesive tape and is held firmly in place both in application of the bandage as well as in its use, with undesirable independent movements or shifting of the parts being prevented.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a bandage or a surgical dressing having improved ventilation.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a bandage or a surgical dressing adapted to receive in manufacturing and hold until the time of application to a wound a proper quantity or dose of a desired medicinal preparation for a particular type of wound or injury, such as a cut, a burn, scalding, an insect or snake bite, and the like, protecting the preparation from evaporation, exposure to air and light, and making the proper preparation available in fresh state or of full undiminished strength available together with the bandage for application to a wound when and where needed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved surgical dressing or bandage for use in homes, factories, schools, first-aid kits, doctors oiiices, hospitals, as well as in sportsmens and travelers kits, to be carried on a person by construction workers, miners, and in similar occupations, as well as for making it a part of personal equipment of military personnel, and an item for use by field medical personnel, with the aid of which a proper medicinal preparation together with a bandage is made instantly available for proper respective applications of both the preparation and of the bandage.

It is an added object of the invention to provide an improved surgical dressing or bandage of the foregoing character, which is simple in construction, safe and dependable in use, and is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the appended drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an improved surgical dressing or bandage embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the bandage of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows on the section plane passing through the line 3--3 of Fig. 1, the thickness of the various layers being greatly exaggerated for the sakeof clarity.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate application of the bandage of Figs. 1-3 to an injured finger.

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 illustrate successive steps in manufacturing of preparation-holding capsules.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

In accordance with the invention there is provided a surgical dressing or bandage which carries within itself a capsule or a hermetically sealed envelope made of thin and pliable sheet material and holding a dose of medicinal preparation. The capsule has a weak spot ensuring its.

bursting in a predetermined spot when pressure is applied to .the capsule. When a liquid preparation is used, it is preferable to form the weak spot in a nipple in order to ensure that bursting will provide a restricted opening adapted to form a stream of the preparation capable of deeper penetration into a wound than a preparation applied by drops or with a soaked pad. Pressure is applied to the capsule by squeezing the bandage in its application with two fingers. It is preferable to dispose the capsule within an absorbent pad carried by the bandage, which pad is perforated to permit the stream of the preparation to go unobstructed directly to the injured tissue, and thus ensuring that the medicinal preparation is aplied to the wound instead of soaking the bandage. After the medicinal preparation is applied to the wound and had a chance to penetrate thereinto, the bandage which remains soft and dry is applied to the wound. Medicinal preparation may be of any desired nature, such as that required for a cut, a burn, a snake or insect bite, a poultice for drawing a boil, and the like, and it may be in a liquid or a paste form. It should also be understood that various combinations or mixtures of medicines sealed in a single capsule, or separate medicines sealed in adjacently placed capsules, may also be employed to effect not only healing but also to prevent lock-jaw, to relieve pain, or to stop bleeding. The capsule emptied by squeezing it collapses and may be left in the bandage, since its presence will not be noticeable therein. The decrease in the volume of the collapsed capsule in the absorbent pad operates to provide a region of decreased pressure in the bandage directly above the wound, which is a very desirable feature. Ventilation openings are provided in the bandage in such locations that the collapsed capsule cannot interfere with ventilation of the bandage and proper drying of the wound.

In the drawings there is shown by way of example an improved surgical dressing or bandage embodying the present invention. Fig. 1 shows the bandage as it appears to a user. As can be seen from an examination of Fig. 1, my improved bandage resembles in its appearance a conventional ready-to-apply bandage except for the fact that my bandage has what appears to be a more substantially cushioned middle portion.

Referring to Fig. 2, the bandage comprises a fabric piece or strip I0 having an adhesive layer H provided on one of its sides, thus being what is commonly called a piece of surgical adhesive tape. The middle portion Ilia of the strip Ill is adapted to carry a medicine filled capsule l2, an absorbent pad [3 housing the same, and a capsule cover [4. The capsule I2 is placed directly on the adhesive layer in the center of the portion Ilia as indicated at l5 with the aid of a phantom line. A plurality, in the present instance four, of ventilation openings [6 are provided in the portion Illa of the strip iii. The openings 15 are located outside of the boundaries of the portion enclosed by the line I5 in order to ensure that the airtight capsule l2 does not cover the ventilation openings.

The capsule I2 is thus fixed in place on the strip l0 and its shifting is prevented. The capsule may be of any suitable form but it is preferable to make it of a flat shape as shown. On the application side of the capsule, i. e. on its side toward the wound and away from the adhesive strip, there is provided a nipple I! having a tip adapted to burst when pressure is applied to the capsule. It is preferable as in the present embodiment to cause bursting of the nipple tip by the internal pressure, since such bursting enables the user to cause bursting the capsule in a predetermined place merely by squeezing the bandage with two fingers as shown in Fig. 5 and without any special manipulations such as pulling tabs or strings or otherwise tearing the material of the capsule, which manipulations or operations may be difficult to perform without considerable practice.

The absorbent pad 53 may be made of any suitable material such as layers of surgical gauze and is provided with a central recess l8 adapted to receive the medicine containing portion of the capsule l2. The width of the pad I3 is preferably equal to that of the strip l0, while its length is such as to overlie or to cover the ventilation openings [6. The pad l3 also adheres directly to the strip l5! and is thus fixed in place thereon. The capsule cover M is preferably made also of an absorbent material and it has width equal to that of the pad 13. The cover M is, however, made longer than the pad is to have its ends extend over the ends of the pad l3 and adhere directly to the adhesive layer of the strip ii] in places indicated by numerals [9, when the adhesive strip assumes the shape shown in Fig. 2 in phantom lines. By virtue of the above construction, the capsule l2, the pad i3, and the cover It, each adhere directly to the adhesive strip til forming a firmly connected unit, the parts of which are not likely to shift or move independently either in application or in use of the bandage. Moreover, adherence of the ends of the capsule cover it to the adhesive strip it] preserves the form of the adhesive strip and of the entire bandage and prevents formation of hollows in the bandage at the ends of the pad i3 after the bandage is applied.

The capsule-covering pad it is perforated as shown at 2!) in order to permit free passage of the medicine from the capsule to the wound and to prevent soaking of the pad with the medicine.

Two overlapping strips 2% made of gauze or any other suitable material are provided to cover the free adhesive ends lilb of the strip It! as well as the capsule-covering pad M, thus preserving their freshness for applications.

Application of my improved bandage is illustrated in Figs. 4-6. For application, the over lapping ends of the cover strips 2| are first opened up and the bandage is placed over the wound as shown in Fig. 4. Thereupon the cushion portion of the bandage is squeezed as illustrated in Fig. 5, the stream of medicine being directs at the wound. After the medicine has fully covered the injured tissue or has penetrated into the wound, and has been given a chance to dry somewhat, if desirable, the bandage is arranged on the wound, the cover strips H are peeled off and the adhesive ends lab are wiped on the flesh for adhesion in a manner similar to that used with conventional ready-to-apply bandages. As thus applied, both the medicine and the bandage are applied in their proper respective manners. The medicine is made to act on the wound rather than on the bandage, which feature is a distinct advantage. Furthermore, the bandage is applied to the wound in dry soft form as intended, and with relieving of pressure directly over the wound. The dry bandage is properly ventilated when on a wound, which is an important requirement of a proper wound dressing.

Figs. 7-9 illustrate an improved method of making medicine-holding capsules. In accordance with the invention a strip 3 3 of thin pliable material inert to the preparation which the capsules are intended to hold is first provided. Soft transparent rubber-base material manufactured by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber 00., Akron, Ohio, under the name of Pliofilm, and regenerated cellulose film, cellophane, manufactured by the E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Wilmington, Delaware, give good results for a large number of applications. The width of the strip is such as to provide capsules of desired size considering overlapping of the edges of the strip as shown at 3! in Fig. 8. The thickness of the material is preferably .005 -.Ol5".

A row of nipples I? is formed on the strip with a weak or bursting spot provided in each nipple, as explained. Care should be exercised not to make nipples ii too stiif, since it may provide a source of irritation of the wound after the capsule collapses.

The strip 353 is thereupon folded longitudinally to form a tube. The edges of the strip are sealingly secured together in any desired manner such as by rolling them together with application of solvent, if desired. The tube so formed is then filled with the medicinal preparation, and is rolled or stamped transversely into sections as indicated at 32 to form a string of capsules, which string is then out to separate the capsules thus making them ready for packing into bandages.

The entire process described above may be carried out in a single machine making the process continuous.

There is thus provided an improved surgical dressing or bandage, whereby the objects of the present invention listed above and numerous ad ditional advantages are attained.

I claim:

l. A surgical dressing comprising a strip of fabric material having adhesive layer provided on one of its sides, a gauze pad carried by said strip at the middle portion of the adhesive side thereof and having a recess, a capsule made of pliable material disposed within said recess and holding a dose of medicinal preparation, said capsule having a weal: spot of limited area on the side away from the adhesive strip and adapted to be ruptured by the internal pressure of the prepa ration when pressure is applied to the capsule, gauze means covering said capsule at the bursting side thereof but recessed for the passage of the preparation, and cover means covering the entire application side of the bandage and peelable away in application.

2. A surgical dressin comprising a strip of fabric material having adhesive layer provided on one of its sides, an absorbent pad disposed at the middle portion of said strip, a capsule made of pliable material disposed at said pad and holding a dose of medicinal preparation, said capsule having a bursting spot on its side away from the adhesive strip, absorbent gauze means covering said capsule at the application side of the bandage with the exception of the bursting spot of the capsule, and two overlapping cover strips covering the entire application side of the bandage and peelable off in application of the bandage.

3. The construction as defined in claim 2, said adhesive strip being provided with a plurality of ventilation openings adjacent its portion at which the capsule is disposed.

4. In a surgical dressing, an absorbent pad, and a sealed capsule carried by said pad, said capsule being made of pliable sheet material and holding a dose of liquid medicinal preparation for application to a wound, said capsule being adapted to burst at a predetermined spot by internal pressure of the liquid when the pad is squeezed and to eject the liquid past said dressing and directly on the wound.

5. A surgical dressing comprising a strip of surgical adhesive tape, a sealed burstable medicine-holding capsule superimposed at said strip and adhering thereto, an absorbent pad surrounding said capsule from its four sides and adhering to the strip, a perforated absorbent cover covering said capsule and said pad from the application side thereof and having ends overlying said pad and adhering to said strip, the perforation in said cover adapted to provide a passage for the medicine from the capsule directly to the wound when the capsule is caused to burst at 15 Number the wound, and past said cover to leave the same dry.

UNO POHJOLA.

8 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 706,250 Muller Aug, 5, 1902 2,145,755 Dickson Jan. 31, 1939 2,221,758 Elmquist Nov. 19, 1940 2,340,142 Rauner Jan. 25, 1944 2,449,478 Herzog Sept. 14, 1948 2,469,975 McCloy May 10, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country 4 Date 745,558 France May 21, 1933 

